1. OPERATIONAL HIGHLIGHTS

The security situation in Baghdad remains volatile with 11 people killed and over 57 people injured in a car bomb attack on the Jordanian Embassy today.

The fuel situation in Iraq, with the exception of Baghdad, has deteriorated further in the past week.

UNJLC is assessing the warehousing situation in Baghdad in order to provide support to a number of UN agencies

2. SECURITY

Iraq: Baghdad: Security phase 4. The security situation in Baghdad remains volatile with 11 people killed and over 57 people injured in a car bomb attack on the Jordanian Embassy today.

Mosul: Security phase 4. A number of security incidents have been reported in the northern governorates mainly involving small arms and RPG attacks reinforcing the concerns about the security situation in the North.

Basrah: Security phase 4. The Field Security Coordination Officer has requested all agencies to divide their staff into essential and non essential personnel in case the security situation continues to deteriorate and the UN needs to scale down it’s presence in the region.

Al Hillah: Security phase 4. Following attacks on humanitarian targets, the roads between Baghdad and Al Hillah (routes 1 and 8) are, for the time being, closed to UN traffic.

Jordan: The country remains at security phase 1.

A complete daily listing of security incidents can be found in the “latest press releases” section of the www.centcom.mil.

3. AIR OPERATIONS

The rolling 7-day flight programme has now evolved into a fixed passenger schedule published under the “passenger schedules” section on the UNJLC website.

Speculation surrounding the dates of the re-opening of Baghdad International Airport to commercial traffic continues. Despite numerous assertions that commercial operators will use the airport there is no confirmation that any flights have actually used the airport.

Mosul airport is still closed for UNHAS flights who are continuing to use Erbil as their Northern landing point.

Airserv will start operating out of Baghdad airport on the 9th August, 2003.

Basrah airport now has immigration and customs services organised by the British Forces.

UNHAS Aircraft assets and utilisation

The UNHAS fleet currently consists of:

a. Passenger Aircraft. Two Beechcraft 1900 and the recently arrived ATR 42. The ATR 42 now operates 6 times a week between Amman and Baghdad. In theory this aircraft can carry 48 passengers with 25kg of baggage each and one tonne of cargo. However, lack of availability of fuel at Baghdad together with restrictions on total numbers of passengers limits the planned passenger load to 30 for the time being.

b. Cargo Aircraft. Having airlifted a total of some 450 tonnes of cargo, the Belgian Air Force C130 returns to Belgium on 8 Aug 03. This aircraft and its crew have performed exceptionally well. Amongst other things they were the first UN aircraft to fly into Iraq (Erbil) after the war. The C130 generously placed at the disposal of the UN by the government of Japan is now scheduled to depart after carrying out its last flight on the 12th August, 2003.

SEARCH AND RESCUE

An ICAO Search and Rescue (SAR) expert is due to arrive in Amman on 13 Aug 03 to begin work with the UNJLC and the Office of the Coalition Provisional Authority in Iraq to establish structured SAR procedures.

4. BORDER CROSSING AND CUSTOMS

The security situation around Safwan at the Kuwait/Iraqi border and on the road up to Nazariyah has greatly improved following WFP’s policy to cancel its operations through the Kuwaiti border. Only four categories of traffic are now allowed across the border – humanitarian, Iraqis resident in Kuwait, Kuwaiti businessmen and Coalition Forces.

A UNJLC customs expert has been sent to the North to visit the border crossing points. An assessment report should be available on the UNJLC website next week.

An Iraqi customs official was assigned to the humanitarian lane at Trebil on the Jordanian/Iraqi border. The official will assist with directing humanitarian traffic and the issuance of gate passes. Traffic is reported as flowing smoothly through the crossing point.

A border crossing map is available on the website.

5. TRANSPORT INFRASTRUCTURE

The first train from Turkey arrived in Iraq on the 3rd August. An agreement between the Turkish Government and the Iraqi authorities is in process of being formulated to regularise this cross border service.

In the next phase of Oil for Food Programme (under Res.1483), suppliers will be responsible for transporting their consignments to all governorates inside of Iraq. It will be up to suppliers to make private arrangements, directly with truck operators. OIP recognized that suppliers will require a focal point in the Ministry of Trade and indicated that they would try to identify one.

In the meantime UNJLC is in the process of collecting and compiling information on Transport Companies available in Iraq, in order to disseminate it in the same manner as it did for the neighbouring countries such as Syria and Jordan."

5.1 UMM QASR PORT UPDATE

The container cranes at the port are now fully operational and have already been used to unload two container vessels.

The dredging of the Ro-Ro and container berths is now complete with a berth of 12.5 meters.

The customs/immigration departments are now functioning well and passenger vessels are entering the port. Customs are facing some minor problems mainly due to late submissions of manifests.

Security in the port is improving and no incidents have been reported lately. Bechtel continues to repair the security fencing around the port as well as repair of the generators and lights in both the new and old port.

Bechtel continues their dredging operations on the grain elevator. As there are no reports of bulk grain shipments arriving in the near future, there is no pressing deadline to complete this work.

For a more complete weekly update about Umm Qasr see the website.

6. LOGISTICS COORDINATION

UNJLC is assessing the warehousing situation in Baghdad in order to provide support to a number of UN agencies including UNICEF who need additional space as they gear up for their “Back to School” programme. Warehouse locations and availability will be provided within a week by UNJLC Baghdad.

7. CIVIL-MILITARY COORDINATION

The Humanitarian Advisory Coordination Centre (HACC) will be dissolved over the next 6 weeks with the civil military coordination centres being handed over to Iraqi civilians.

8. FUEL

The fuel situation in Iraq, with the exception of Baghdad, has deteriorated further in the past week. Greater shortages have appeared in the south, upper south, and parts of the north. This applies even to gasoline where the overall national supply is generally adequate. The twin effects of inadequate supply and inequitable distribution are conspiring to maintain high black market prices and low levels of availability.

Iraq is presently producing much more crude than is normally required for conversion into adequate quantities of refined products, but is unable to process enough of this through its dilapidated refinery system to meet demand. With only half of the processed crude refined into usable light products (the balance being heavy fuel oil), domestic supply falls far short of requirements. To help bridge this gap, the Coalition and Ministry of Oil are continuing to import gasoline and LPG in large quantities. However, no significant imports of diesel or kerosene have been made to date. The latter two fuels are particularly important from the humanitarian perspective as it is necessary to stockpile significant quantities of kerosene for winter. The annual stockpiling programme has started but is behind schedule. To catch up, much more kerosene will have to be produced locally at the expense of diesel. Winter kerosene shortages are increasingly probable to the point of near certainty.

Of particular concern are indications that the Coalition expects the Ministry of Oil to meet the gap between domestic supply and demand as early as the end of next month. This may prove impracticable in the time available. As the Ministry does not have access to the proceeds of crude oil exports, it will be limited to bartering heavy fuel oil for imported gasoline, diesel, kerosene and LPG. Domestic refinery production is unlikely to recover sufficiently in the next six to eight weeks to allow reduced overall imports; there may be insufficient fuel oil available to barter for the required quantities of light products; and the practical difficulties of this trade, including financing, may render it a less than satisfactory strategy.

Unstable supplies from the national power grid to all parts of the industry and security of facilities are the two most critical factors preventing further increases in domestically-produced fuels. Despite their condition, Iraq’s refineries could significantly increase production and delivery of refined products if pipelines were uninterrupted and power supplies remained sufficient and constant. Export smuggling, particularly of diesel, also remains a major problem but is now being addressed more aggressively by the Coalition.

New LPG imports into the south during August and first post-war production from the Southern Gas Plant in September may improve the LPG supply situation in the near term. However, this may be offset by a scaling back of Coalition imports. With a less than effective distribution system, pipeline problems and insufficient trucking capacity, an LPG crisis is almost certain to continue.

For the complete version of the UNJLC weekly fuel bulletin see our website.

For Fuel availability in Iraq please see the website.

9. OTHER

UNJLC is in the process of compiling a map of all the fuel station in Baghdad which should be complete within two weeks.

UNHAS/UNJLC contact information.

Passenger Bookings: Saba Jamil and Bartholemou Dias
o Email: jose.caquarta@wfp.org
Also now: iraq.unhas@wfp.org
o Office phone: + 962 562 9737
o Mobile: TBN.
o Fax: + 962 656 92316

Regional Air Coordinator: Paul Steiner
o Email: paul.steiner@wfp.org
o Office phone: + 962 (0)6 562 7943.
o Mobile: + 962 (0)79 6969 381.
o Fax: + 962 656 92316.

Air Cargo: Kjersti Bang
o Email: kjersti.bang@wfp.org
o Office phone: + 962 (0)6 562 7943
o Mobile: + 962 (0) 79 6969 392
o Fax: + 962 656 92316